Individual jewelry pieces are often stored in a single container such that it is convenient to safely transport the jewelry pieces and then open the container for display of the jewelry pieces contained therein. Typically, the container comprises a rigid, rectangular solid box including support structures within the box to securely mount and support several individual pieces of jewelry. The prior art has also proposed the use of soft envelope, pouch and wallet type containers which are made from pliable fabric materials to facilitate the carrying of the contained jewelry. Several of the prior soft jewelry containers generally comprise fabric sections which are connected to one another along fold lines such that the fabric sections may be folded over one another to form a closed container for the transport of the jewelry pieces and unfolded to be co-planar relative to one another and, thereby, provide a display surface for the jewelry previously enclosed by the folded over fabric sections.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a soft, book-like jewelry container that can be utilized to both transport and display several individual jewelry pieces and, in particular, pin-type souvenirs. The jewelry container of the present invention comprises a rectangular, soft cover-forming element made from a pliable material and page-like, fabric sections arranged within the cover formed by the cover-forming element. The cover-forming element is foldable about predetermined fold lines to completely enclose the page-like fabric sections for safe and convenient transport of the jewelry pieces. The cover-forming element further includes a fastening means, such as a Velcro fastener, to retain the cover in its folded configuration.
Moreover, in accordance with a feature of the invention, the cover-forming element comprises a two ply arrangement with the interior sheet of pliable material being stitched to the exterior, protective sheet in a ribbed pattern to provide a cushioned cover about the page-like, fabric sections, for protection of the stored jewelry pieces during transport.
Each of the page-like, fabric sections is formed by a double layered fabric loop, as, for example, a corduroy fabric loop, such that individual jewelry pieces, as for example, souvenir pins, may be mounted to the exterior surfaces of each fabric layer of the loop with the pin of each souvenir pin piercing the respective layer and the fastening cap for the pin being affixed to the pin between the two layers of the loop of the respective page-like, fabric section. The page-like fabric sections are each fastened along one side edge to the cover-forming element so that they may be turned, similar to a page in a book, when the cover-forming element is unfolded, for convenient display of the mounted jewelry pieces. Additional felt page sections may also be fastened to either the cover-forming element or the double corduroy fabric sections to provide a protective fabric layer between jewelry pieces mounted on opposed corduroy page-like fabric sections.
The present invention, therefore, provides a convenient, practical and attractive article for the safe storage, transportation and display of individual jewelry pieces. A soft, cushioned protective cover surrounds the stored articles which are each securely fastened to soft, fabric page-like sections suitably fixed to the protective cover for convenient display upon unfolding of the cover. The book-like jewelry container of the present invention also provides an ideal article for the storage of a pin collection such as a collection of souvenir pins for member teams of a professional sports league.
For a better understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawings.